Hey everyone. Back at it again with another chapter. I've been reading all of the comments/reviews posted on this story, and I want to thank everyone who wrote something, whether it said my story was good to those that said it sucked.
This is my first attempt at writing a story from a first-person perspective. It's a lot more challenging than I thought. But I see it as a good way to delve into new territory, and writing in first-person gives me the freedom to try new things outs.
Alot of comments said that the first chapter in this story felt rushed. I'm planning on fixing the overall pace of that chapter cuz yeah. It does seem like it skims over a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. It's going to get fixed hopefully sometime after this chapter is uploaded.
A lot of the questions I got on this story concerned the true nature of Ichigo's power and heritage and how I'm going to handle/reveal it. While I'm not going to spoil it in this AN, I have an idea drafted up to address it. Like I said before, I even have a form of Ichigo I'm going to use that isn't canon to the anime and manga. The form isn't completely made up from scratch, so don't worry! If you look up this form when it's revealed on Google, it's not just a random thing I came up with.
As I was reading the comments on this story, I couldn't help but think about a comment that said that the Ichigo in this story isn't in-character compared to the source material. I thought I got his character down mostly in the past chapters, but I'll try to do my best to make his dialogue and actions in this story more familiar to the fans of Bleach. But I purposefully made Ichigo say the lines he said and do the things he did because he's now reincarnated as a Devil and has to deal with a Demon Lord who acts like a child. His personality won't do a complete 180, but there are gonna be subtle differences here and there. Hopefully this clears up any misunderstandings.
I didn't feel the presence of those two Exorcists or the Excaliburs they used the next day. That either meant that they were suppressing their powers or they were currently hiding somewhere. Well, as long as they didn't do anything too drastic that would force me to interfere.
Looking out the window, I had a good view of the front of the school where students walked through the front gates. Rias and her Peerage eventually gathered at the bridge before they headed in. Noticeably, I didn't see Rias' knight with them. Kiba Yuuto.
The bell rang, and I returned to my seat for homeroom. Classes came and went, and before I knew it, the day was already over. The sun setting in the distance painted the inside of the classroom with a warm-orange color. I didn't have any kind of business left to do in the school, so I packed my bag and promptly left the classroom.
"Kurosaki!" a voice called out to me.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face a black-haired student. I recognized her from my class, though I couldn't remember her name.
"Uh, can I help you?" I asked. It wasn't everyday that I was approached by anybody in school unless they were my friends or if they wanted to start trouble with me. Though it was safe to say that this girl didn't come to me to start a fight.
"Are you free tonight?" she asked.
"Huh?" Now I was even more confused. Why did this girl care if I had plans later today?
"You see, me and my friends are going to a karaoke bar. Do you wanna come with us?" she asked.
That was when I noticed that a group of girls were peeking at us from the corner, eagerly waiting for my answer. Why the hell did they look so excited?
"I, uh…" I babbled. How was I supposed to respond to her request? I was never approached by a girl to hang out in my own world. And besides, I always had to be ready to fight in case a rogue Devil or worse showed up.
But if she went out of her way to come up to me, then turning down her offer would just feel like an asshole move to do. The fact that she had the courage to ask a delinquent like me had to mean something.
Man, did I seriously have no social life back home!?
The air suddenly turned cold, causing me to freeze in my tracks. It was like someone had dumped the winter breeze onto this school, despite the current season being Spring. My eyes went wide and my breath quickened.
"This is…!" I gasped out. There was no mistaking this sudden rush of killing intent. It was the same feeling I got when those two Exorcists visited me. Only this time, it was much more potent and it fluctuated violently like the two of them were in some kind of fight.
"Sorry! Gotta go!" I exclaimed as I ran past the girl and shot down the hallway.
"Ah, wait!"
I dodged and weaved through the students and ran as fast as I could until I was outside. I didn't even stop to apologize to the students I accidentally knocked over. Closing my eyes, I carefully sensed the Excaliburs' presence until I finally managed to pinpoint their general location.
"The Occult Research Club Building!"
It didn't take very long for me to reach the decrepit building. You had to try to miss this thing. To normal people, it was an old building that the Occult Research Club used for its activities. But it was better known as Rias' base of operations to the Supernatural World. I ran inside until I could feel myself passing through the magical boundary that surrounded the club room.
The doors practically flew off as I kicked them in. Just like the Student Council Office, this room was way too fancy for it to be a regular club room complete with lavish furniture and a fluffy carpet under my feet.
Rias and her Peerage were nowhere in sight inside the room. For the briefest of moments, my mind wandered into the worst-case scenario. But the room itself showed no visible signs of struggle or battle. That either meant that they either relocated or were transported somewhere.
A shrill sound rang out, catching my attention. The sound of battle. I quickly made my way over to the nearest window and peeked out.
I watched just in time to see Irina's katana graze Issei's side. While the cut was just an over-sized papercut, Issei fell to the ground screaming as the Holy Sword ate away at his body.
"Gaaaah!" Issei exclaimed in pain. He writhed around in the ground and a smoky haze seeped out of his cut.
"Heehee! Even just the smallest scratch is enough to cause excruciating pain to any Devil!" Irina sang.
I then saw Kiba's body being thrown back by an unknown force. Xenovia slowly walked into view casually holding her broadsword on her shoulder.
"Your Sacred Gear allows you to create various demonic words, but you cannot handle the weight of larger swords. It thus limits the speed that you're so proud of," Xenovia chastised.
The white cloth that usually covered her weapon wrapped itself around her sword like a snake. Xenovia stuck her sheathed blade onto her back and gave Kiba one more scornful look.
"Is pure destructive power what you seek? Isn't that needed for your ambitions?" Xenovia asked once more. She eyed Kiba struggling to stand up before releasing a tired sigh.
"Guess you don't even understand that, huh?"
"This isn't over!" Kiba roared.
He somehow managed to jump up and rushed towards Xenovia. Two more swords formed in each of his hands and he raised them high over his head for the killing blow.
"Yuuto!" Rias shouted.
I jumped out of the open window from where I was briefly spectating the fight. In a brief flash of light, I was now in my Shinigami form and was already drawing Zangetsu from my back.
"That's enough!"
Zangetsu began to glow blue as I began to charge it with my Spiritual Pressure. As I stabbed Zangetsu into the ground, a blast of Spiritual Pressure erupted from my blade as I released it, demolishing the ground and sending both Exorcists as well as Issei and Kiba flying away. I didn't care that I casually released a ton of my power on the school grounds. All that mattered to me was stopping the duel before anyone got killed.
"Kh! You're…!" Xenovia growled as she regained her balance.
"Sorry, but duels to the death aren't allowed on school grounds." I calmly stated.
"Ah! The Strawberry Devil!" Irina gasped.
I gave Irina my best death stare, and she quietly 'eeped'.
"I ain't a damn strawberry!" I yelled.
"You! What're you doing here in my territory?" Rias demanded as she pointed at me.
"My job," I groaned. "I rushed over here as soon as I felt those Excaliburs' presence. It's my job to keep the peace in this town. And I'm pretty sure stopping a death battle is part of my job."
"This was merely a sparring match to settle unsettled business," Xenovia countered.
"By using Excaliburs?" I questioned.
"We warned you, Queen of Leviathan. Not to interfere in our mission." Xenovia pushed.
"And I never agreed to your terms!" I shouted back. "Did you seriously walk into this academy with those swords and thought I wouldn't do anything!?"
"Ah, we just wanted to tell Gremory the same thing we told you that night," Irina explained. "To not get in our way."
"And I'm here to also tell you that I don't give a damn about your terms!" I replied.
Xenovia and Irina gave me a dumbfounded look like they couldn't understand the words coming out of my mouth. Rias and her Peerage were probably making similar expressions too based on the numerous gasps I heard behind me.
"A-are you mad!?" Xenovia demanded. "We went out of our way to give a Devil like you a peaceful resolution!"
"I don't care if you belong to The Church, Fallen Angels, or whatever. There's something I want to protect in this city. In order to protect the thing that I cherish…"
Xenovia and Irina jumped back when I lifted Zangetsu from my shoulder and aimed its tip at them. Their hands hovered over their weapons, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.
"...I will win. No matter what."
The ground under my feet began to shake as I slowly released my Spiritual Pressure to prove my point. Xenovia and Irina stumbled and their bodies shook as they tried to fight against the weight that had been dropped onto their bodies.
"You can't be serious!" Xenovia cried out. "The Church will never let a provocation like this go unanswered!"
But the only thing I could see reflected in her eyes was fear. Her tough outer facade couldn't hide the fear in her eyes. She knew that the moment she drew her blade and swung at me, she would lose.
"Xenovia!" Irina shouted. The blue-haired girl softly gasped as she was brought back to reality by her partner.
"Fine then! We'll leave for now, but don't think for a second that you've won here!" Irina said.
I eased on my Spiritual Pressure to allow the pair to gather themselves and leave. Once they were gone, I closed off as much of my power as I could. A part of me felt a little guilty for letting my emotions get the better of me and cause those two girls to nearly fall over from my power. But I had to get my point across that I wasn't going to sit still if their mission potentially disturbed the peace in this city.
"Oh yeah. Sorry about that," I apologized, turning back to face Rias and her Peerage.
All of them looked incredibly worn out and tired as if they had just run a marathon. Issei was still on the ground face-first and Akeno was helping Asia stand up properly. I think I accidentally knocked Issei out by accident.
Rias glared angrily at me and I could see red flames dance within her eyes. She didn't seem as affected as the others, though her breathing did sound a bit weak..
"Trespassing in my territory and meddling in my affairs is one thing. But causing harm to my Peerage is an offense only punishable by death!" Rias exclaimed. A red aura surrounded her body and I felt a sudden burst of magic come out from her. It felt somewhat similar to what I felt when I fought Sirzechs, though it was considerably weaker and not as overpowering and suffocating.
"I said I was sorry dammit!" I retorted. "Look, I'll be on my way for now. I'm not really in a mood to fight right now."
"Wait!" Rias yelled, but it was too late. I was already jumping over the Occult Research Club building and was flying back to my apartment. The last thing I wanted was to get into another confrontation before the day was over.
"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable!" Rias fumed. "If he weren't the Queen of Lady Serafall, then-"
"Ufufufu. While it is nice to see you so worked up, I believe tending to everyone's well being should come first." Akeno suggested.
Akeno's words seemed to snap Rias out of her previous state of anger. She quickly turned to Issei and propped his limp body up with care.
"Akeno? What happened?" Asia whispered. "I felt something heavy, and everything went black."
"Don't worry. You just passed out for a moment." Akeno assured.
"Ah! Issei!" Asia exclaimed. She squirmed out of Akeno's grasp and limped over to him. Her Sacred Gear lit up as she began to heal him. "What happened to him!?"
"The same thing that happened to you. He was overwhelmed by that boy's power." Rias exclaimed.
A soft groan escaped Issei's lips. Both Rias and Asia sighed in relief when his eyes cracked open. Issei blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust so that he could properly comprehend his surroundings.
"P-Prez?" Issei stuttered.
"Issei! You're okay!" Rias said. She grabbed onto Issei's head and shoved his head into her chest. "Are you okay? You're not feeling hurt anywhere, right?"
"Mmmmph!" Issei's arms began to thrash around as he was slowly being suffocated by what could only be described as paradise.
"P-President! You're suffocating him!" Asia cried out.
He was eventually let go, though he had a goofy smile on his face.
"I-I'm completely fine…" Issei giggled. "The first thing to greet me was heaven after all!"
"At least you're the same as usual." Ddraig commented.
"Ddraig!" Issei exclaimed.
"You felt it this time, didn't you?" Ddraig asked. "That man's power, that is."
Issei's skin turned pale upon his realization. "W-wait, that was his power!? But how!? It felt so heavy and huge! I've never felt anything like that before!"
"Partner, you said that your dream is to become an Ultimate-Class Devil, right?" Ddraig questioned. "That is the level of power you must attain to reach that level."
"I have to be stronger than that guy?" Issei whispered.
"Kurosaki! Are you even paying attention!?"
"Ah!" A warm feeling began to spread out across my face as I jolted awake.
"This isn't the time to be day-dreaming! Being a transfer student does not give you the excuse to let your mind wander!" the male teacher scolded.
I could hear the students around me begin to snicker and laugh at the fact that I was personally called out by the teacher for not paying attention. If this happened in my home world, I wouldn't have cared. But now that I'm in a completely foreign place, I now found myself being more self-conscious than I normally would've been. Was I feeling that homesick, or was it because I'm now a devil?
Sera did mention that because I'm a devil, my personality and mannerisms would change slowly but surely. Am I constantly worrying about my own self-image because I'm a devil?
"...Sorry." I mumbled.
But as the school day passed by, I couldn't get the meeting I had with those two girls from the Church out of my head. They had refused to give me their names the first time we met, so I had to look it up myself by digging through the mountains of documents I had in my apartment.
The serious-looking one who had that big sword was Xenovia Quarta, and the bubbly one with the pigtails was Irina Shidou. I could feel the power from the Excalibur fragments they used radiate like heat from the Sun. If it wasn't for those weapons, I wouldn't have rushed to meet them during their duel with Rias' Peerage.
All they said was that they were conducting an investigation in this city and as long as I didn't interfere in their business, there wouldn't be any issues.
Of course there was no way I could agree to their terms. As far as I'm concerned, what happens in this town is my business. Every fight is my fight. A warning from The Church wasn't going to make me turn my back on one of Sera's requests.
"That is all for today. And remember that the exam is next week! I will not tolerate any half-hearted attempts, especially if it's from you Kurosaki!"
I internally groaned as my forehead slammed onto my desk. Hearing him call me out personally again made me want to get out of the school building even more. I didn't want to stand out even more than I had to.
"Um, excuse me!"
"Hm?" I glanced up to see Issei himself standing next to my desk. This got my attention immediately. I sat up properly and turned to face him.
"About the time at the warehouse…" Issei nervously began. He scratched the back of his head and his eyes darted around all over the classroom.
I couldn't tell what Issei was thinking about based on his nervous body language. He seemed pretty loud and rambunctious last time when I killed that Devil, and he was knocked out cold by my Spiritual Pressure the day before. But now he seemed to be fine which was a relief. I was worried about the possibility that I might've Soul Crushed him by accident.
"S-sorry for yelling at you that night." Issei whispered as softly as he could. If he wasn't standing so close to me, I would've never heard him.
"Hey, it's fine. It was my mistake for interfering in your guys' business," I said with a wave. "You don't have to force yourself to apologize to me just cuz Rias made you."
"H-how did you know!?" Issei gasped.
"Lucky guess. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
"Wait! I have something else I wanna ask you!" Issei suddenly blurted out.
This caught me by surprise. First he was apologizing to me and now he wanted to ask me something? I raised my eyebrows in response.
"Hm? About what?" I asked.
"Well, it's about Kiba."
I put down my coffee and pinched the bridge of my nose. "This is bad."
Issei sighed heavily and his head thudded against the table. "Please don't remind me…"
We were sitting on a table outside of a small coffee shop. This was where he wanted to ask me about the thing in his mind and discuss it with him. Sitting next to him was Rias' Rook Koneko quietly munching away at her scone. She had insisted on tagging along for some reason.
Issei had just told me that their Knight going by the name Kiba Yuuto suddenly went missing after yesterday's skirmish. If a member of a Peerage suddenly disappears and goes rogue…
"...He's basically a Rogue Devil," I continued. "By going after this Freed guy and trying to fulfill his desire of destroying the Excaliburs, it's only a matter of time until an order to kill him is put on him."
"We must stop Kiba before it's too late," Koneko softly replied. "I don't want to see Kiba in pain. He is a precious friend."
"Is this why those two girls visited me that night?" I mumbled to myself.
The timing of their appearance, as well as their confidential mission and the fact that they had also gone to Rias to tell her something. It was all too much of a coincidence. At first, it seemed like their mission was to find these missing Excalibur fragments and call it a day. But why would The Church try so hard to keep this undercover? Sending two girls to search an entire city for some swords seemed like an impractical use of time and manpower. Sure, having the Excaliburs go missing wasn't exactly a good thing to happen. But if that was the case, why warn me and Rias?
"What is it?" Issei asked.
"Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself," I answered. "Still, it's really no surprise that your master doesn't really like me. Does she know you guys are meeting with me?"
"That's-" Issei's body went rigid and even Koneko refused to look me in the eye, finding her scone much more interesting than our current conversation.
"Look, I don't really mind that you guys came to me for help. Just be prepared for her to be pissed off that you guys are working behind her back." I said.
Issei nervously gulped and Koneko swallowed the rest of her scone. I looked over to the empty seat next to me.
"So, you said that you called one other person here?" I asked.
"Ah, right. He should be here any minute now…" Issei said.
As if on cue, I could hear rapid footsteps beginning to approach us. Whoever ran up to us stopped a few feet from our table in order to catch his breath.
"Sorry I'm late!" Saji gasped out tiredly. "I had to do some things in the Student Council Office and-"
Saji's sentence stopped midway as he saw me and pointed a shaky finger at me.
"WAAAAAAH! IT'S THE DEATHBERRY!" Saji shrieked.
"Who the hell are you calling a strawberry!?" I angrily demanded, standing up from my seat. First Irina, and now Saji!
"Yo, Saji. Glad you could make it." Issei said with a smile.
"Issei! Why's he here!?" Saji demanded as he shook the student. "When you said you wanted to talk, I wasn't expecting an Ultimate-Class Devil drinking coffee with you!"
"Keep your voice down. We're in a public area." I smacked the back of Saji's head and sat back down, still fuming from Saji's nickname that he had given me. "Now's the time to discuss why we're all here."
"Right," Issei responded. "Saji, we need you and Ichigo's help in finding Kiba and bringing him back."
Saji's face paled upon hearing Issei's request. "N-no! I can't do that!"
"Why not? Isn't it the Student Council's job to take care of the student body's worries?" I asked.
"Y-you don't know the President!" Saji whimpered in fear. "She's gonna torture me for sure!"
"Is she really that scary?" I asked.
Compared to her older sister, Sona was more uptight and strict when it came to rules and regulations. But I knew she wasn't a bad person at heart. Sera always complained that she wanted Sona to loosen up though.
"Y-you don't get it. When Prez gets angry, she gets really scary!" Saji added.
"Not my problem," I said much to Saji's despair. I turned to Issei to ignore Saji's continuous crying. "So, what's our next move?"
Issei chuckled nervously. "Well, there's two people we need to find…"
"Please have some mercy on these poor servants of God!" Irina cried out tearfully.
"Any donations will be accepted." Xenovia added in a monotone voice.
"What am I looking at…" I said to myself. The two exorcists that seemed to have everything under their control just a few days ago were now standing in the streets begging for money.
"I don't even know myself…" Issei replied.
"I think they're begging for money." Koneko said.
"Gee, y'think?" I sarcastically replied. Both girls didn't even seem to sense my presence when I walked up to them. A low growling sound came from both girls' stomachs, and their bodies swayed from side to side.
"Well, let's fill our stomachs for now so that we can find the Excaliburs again." Xenovia groaned in hunger.
"You're right. So, are we gonna have to rob pagans of their money? God would forgive us if all we robbed were pagans." Irina suggested.
This outrageous suggestion caused both Irina and Xenovia to grin mischievously. They began to look more like demons than the Devils I knew.
"How about we raid a temple and bring their money box back?" Xenovia added.
"You do that, and I'll drag both your asses to the nearest police station." I threatened.
"Ah! It's you!" Irina shouted. "How dare a lowly Devil sneak up on God's faithful servants!"
"The fact that you guys were planning to steal to eat makes you no better than a common Devil!" I shouted. "Now, there's something I'd like to discuss with you two. Seeing how both your stomachs are growling, wanna talk over it in a diner?"
Xenovia and Irina stared at me with uneasy expressions.
"Selling our souls to a Devil like that is…" Irina trailed off.
"Who said I wanted your soul?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. "Look, it'll be my treat. That sound better?"
As soon as the words 'my treat' left my mouth, their eyes sparkled like hungry cats. Their sudden shift in mood made me question whether The Church was even hiring the right kinds of people.
"Well, if you insist…" Xenovia said.
Taking her response as a yes, we quickly made our way over to a nearby family diner. The twin exorcists wasted no time browsing through the menu and ordered whatever they wanted. I could only watch in dismay as the food kept on being piled onto the table.
"Delicious!" Xenovia exclaimed in between bites. She was already done devouring an entire steak and was now moving onto a burger.
"This is it! The flavor of our homeland!" Irina cheered as she dug into a plate of tonkatsu.
"I can't believe that we nearly got killed by them…" Issei said.
"I'm not even sure that they're human. I've never seen any Devil eat as much as them…" I commented.
After several more plates and dessert (of course), Xenovia finally seemed to get back on track.
"So, why bother coming into contact with us?" Xenovia questioned.
Issei nodded before speaking. "I'll cut right to the chase. We want your help in destroying the Excalibur fragments."
Irina and Xenovia briefly stared at each other. They seemed to be communicating wordlessly with one another based on the way their eyes darted around.
"Well, I suppose we can agree." Xenovia answered.
"Eh!?" Irina gasped. "Are you sure this is the right move? You're talking about making a deal with Devils!"
"Think about it. All of our interests align. We help you destroy the stolen fragments, and this city will be protected and your mission will be completed." I explained. "And besides, you two look like you need all the help you can get."
"Kh!" Irina scowled at me, but she didn't argue against my reasoning. Begging on the streets for money didn't exactly give off a good impression that they knew what they were doing.
"My faith is flexible. It can adapt to the best case if needed." Xenovia continued.
"Just what kinda reasoning is that?" Issei asked.
"Sounds like an excuse she came up with on the spot." I said.
"Irina, I believe that completing the mission and coming back alive is a real show of faith. Survive, and fight for God's sake," Xenovia glanced over to the apprehensive Irina. "Am I not wrong?"
"...It isn't, but…" Irina admitted.
"Then think about it this way. We are not borrowing a Devil's power, but rather the Dragon's." Xenovia reasoned.
"Huh!?" Issei gasped when Xenovia pointed a finger at him.
"As the legend goes, The Welsh Dragon is as powerful as a Demon Lord. This meeting must be a sign from God." Xenovia recounted.
"I see. We must borrow the Dragon's power-" Irina suddenly shook her head as if she was trying to get rid of whatever she was about to say. "Wait, that's sophistry!"
"C'mon. We all know Issei's a childhood friend of yours," I said. "He's screwed up in the head, but you should trust your friends once in a while."
"Thanks for the compliment…" Issei muttered.
"I know…" Irina sighed. "It's just hard to take a Devil's word. Least of all Issei's."
"Hold on! There's one thing you guys haven't explained yet!" Saji exclaimed. "What does Kiba going missing have to do with all this?"
"Kiba Yuuto was the victim of the Holy Sword Project. The Church tried to artificially create people who could wield the Excalibur fragments, but failed miserably. They tried to cover up the experiment by killing off all the kids involved in the project. But Kiba escaped." I explained.
"Hm. You seem very knowledgeable about this topic." Xenovia commented.
"I read up on it after you two showed up. Curiosity got the better of me." I said with a shrug.
"That's terrible. You mean that he's the sole survivor?" Issei asked.
"Yeah. My guess is that he was picked up by Rias sometime after he escaped. It explains why he hates Excalibur that much." I surmised.
"It's a past that even I don't like to think about. Shortly after the project failed, the man who was responsible for those deaths was excommunicated." Xenovia added. "Valper Galilei. That is the man responsible for the Holy Sword Project."
"I see. So Kiba wants to avenge his friends' deaths by going after these fragments." Saji said. "No wonder he seemed off whenever I saw him during school. It's like he was on the hunt or something."
"Which is why we gotta find the fragments before he gets himself killed." I said.
"Yeah. Kiba is a precious friend. I'll never let him get killed trying to get revenge." Issei stated.
"Then the agreement is finalized. I'll surely repay you for this meal, Queen of Leviathan." Xenovia promised.
"Thanks for the meal! Even if you're a Devil, God will surely forgive you!" Irina said with a smile and a wave.
Once the pair were gone, we left the diner shortly after.
"At least we got them to agree to help us. Better than getting into some kind of death battle." I said.
"Yeah. Thanks for your help, Ichigo." Issei said with a bow.
I couldn't help but raise a brow. "I didn't do much. This was all pretty much your idea."
"Yeah, but I still needed your strength. I'm still too weak to protect my friends, so I went to someone as strong as you."
"Too weak to protect your friends?" I questioned. I then swiftly karate-chopped Issei right on his head.
"Ow! What was that for!?" Issei demanded.
"The fact that you're willing to go so far for the people you cherish means that you're strong enough, dumbass." I chided.
"D-dumbass!?" Issei blurted out.
"Whatever. Just go home and get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."
Issei continued to grumble even as he rode away on his bike. Now it was just me and Koneko standing in front of the diner.
"Well, I'll be on my way. See you at the meeting spot tomorrow." I said as I began to walk away from Rias' Rook.
Koneko suddenly grabbed onto my uniform, stopping me in place. I looked back in surprise to see Koneko eagerly looking up at me.
"...What?" I nervously asked.
"Please help Yuuto. It would be very lonely if he's gone. We need your strength to bring him back." Koneko softly begged.
I softly petted Koneko's hair. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she suddenly jumped away from me.
"Sorry. You just reminded me of my sisters, so I couldn't help myself," I said. "Don't worry. Even if I don't know Kiba too well, I'll do my best to protect the ones you cherish. And that's a promise."
Koneko didn't say anything to me. She simply turned away from me and walked away on her own. I hope that what I said and did to her didn't offend her too much.
When Koneko was finally completely gone, I glanced behind to face Kiba. He didn't look all too happy to see me.
"She cares about you a lot, and you're just gonna leave her behind like that?" I asked in a low voice.
"My matters are none of your business. So get lost." Kiba threatened.
"Sorry. Can't do that, especially since Issei and Koneko came to me for help." I said. "If you want me out, then you're gonna have to make me."
I could feel the air turn cold as Kiba directed his killing intent at me. It wouldn't surprise me if he suddenly attacked me out of anger.
"Fine then. Let's settle this somewhere else. I don't want to destroy the diner that's behind me." I offered.
Kiba blinked in confusion. "What?"
My uniform was quickly replaced by my Shinigami robes in a split second. Kiba's body tensed as my Spiritual Pressure covered the area. His right hand opened up to allow a sword to be in his hand at a moment's notice.
"If words won't work between us, then we'll understand each other through our blades."